Tri-City
from page Bl
systems - and we are confi
dent that Tri-City Project
Teach will he even stronger."
"Under Tri-City Project
Teach - 'Teaching Education
and Athletics to Create
Hope' - we the founders pass
the gavel to our present pres
' ident, Learmond 'Buddy'
Hayes." Johnson said.
"Buddy is much more than
our lead-off leg. He is a
coach, a strong parent, an
AAU official, director of our
tutoring program and much
more."
One reason Johnson and
Riley feel strongly about tak
ing a step back is because of
the upcoming young coaches
who were former standouts
in the program but have
come back to take active
roles as gcoaches. Julius
Reece and Derrick Speas,
who both began their careers
?
with Tri-City at age 12, are
lending a hand as coaches.
The two are also involved
locally as football coaches,
Reece as wide-receiver
coach at Winston-Salem
State and Speas as running
back coach at R.J. Reynolds
High School.
"We proudly welcome
them and all the qualified
coaches of our team and
organization," Johnson said.
"Our coaching staff of 2002
has helped us qualify some
80 kids for national competi
tion - a team record. Hats off
to them."
Johnson said the organi
zation is blessed to have a
strong backbone, with sup
porters who help to keep it
functioning.
"With even more strength
come out anchor legs, who
are appreciated and should
be commended," he said.
"Our mighty Executive
Board, our parents, our sup
O
porters, our practice facili
ties providers, our communi
ty our total team membership
have been outstanding."
Recently a record number
of supporters crowded into
High Point's Simeon Track
facility for the N.C. AAU
Regional Championship.
Athletes from Winston
Salem took charge in many
events, competing with top
teams from Charlotte and the
rest of the state. Some 80
athletes qualified to move on
to regional or national com
petition.
That, according to John
son, is proof positive that
Tri-City is still going strong.
"We want to congratulate
and encourage our athletes
for their success and
achievements," he said. "We
also wish them much success
and encouragement. We also
we wish them success in
every other sport in which
they compete."
Woodbury
from page HI
camp. "But I was deter
mined that I was going to
make it."
That meant battling a
long list of quarterbacks
beginning with the Jets'
first training camp. Wood
bury beat out Rashard
Casey, the former Penn
State quarterback, during
the first mini-camp, and
that set him up as the Jets'
third quarterback to assure
himself a slot on the roster.
Being third on the depth
. chart didn't assure Wood
bury a position on the
active roster, however.
That's something he earned
later as a mejnber of the
team's scout team. Wood
bury turned heads with his
performance at wide receiv
er on the scout team, and
that helped him land a spot
on the Jets' specialty team.
"I'll never forget the
way it felt to finally play in
an NFL game," Woodbury
- said. "It was against the
Carolina Panthers, and I
-had a lot of people out there
to watch me. I made two
tackles and it was a great
experience." ,
; It was an eye-opener for
a lot of people, but not for
? Woodbury.
"I felt all the time that I
;belonged," he said. "When
I compared myself to other
people, I felt that I
tjt.-niiiyt.-u. it wusjum a mat
ter of me staying sharp
^mentally and grasping the
;offense and showing my
ability on the field."
That's perhaps the most
difficult part of playing in
the NFL. according to
Woodbury.
"During training camp
?we're given a play book
with more than 400 plays,"
he said. "There are plays
.for every possible scenario,
and you have to learn them
and know the coverages
and adjustments that you
have to make. You hava to
know how to audible and
the plays that you have to
audible to if the defense
changes."
When the season starts,
there are more plays to
learn.
"There's a playbook for
each team," he said. "As a
quarterback you have to be
mentally prepared for each
one every week."
Mental preparation
' begins on Monday after the
previous Sunday's game
and doesn't end until game
time.
"You spend so much
time in the classroom learn
ing," he said. "You might
have a three- or four-hour
meeting and then go out
and have a 30-minute walk
through on what you've
learned during thp^meeting.
So you have to be really
focused and attuned to
things during every meet
ing.
"I understand now that
NFL football is a business,"
he added. "You have to be
able to get up and go to
work every day and treat it
like a job. You can have
fun, but you have to be seri
ous about it and your career
or you won't be there long.
"I've seen guys move
their families up and then
be released two or three
days later. That's hard but
you understand that it goes
with the territory."
It is all the more reason
why Woodbury said he
feels fortunate to be a mem
ber of the team. ?
"I thank God for bless
ing me with the ability to be
" where I am," he said. "And
I hope to be able to take
advantage of it."
To do that Woodbury
said he has to take his daily
workout routine seriously
and be prepared to compete
for the starting quarterback
job when he reports later
this month. He impressed a
lot of players and coaches
with his performance at the
team's recent mini-camp.
Vinny Testaverde. the start
ing quarterback, missed the
camp because of injuries,
and Woodbury got an
opportunity to share play
ing time with the starters
along with backup Chad
Pennington.
"The media around there
had a lot of positive things
to say and so did the coach
es." Woodbury said. "I feel
more confident now, and I
have a better grasp of the
offense."
It could mean that
Woodbury will get a chance
to work with the team's top
players during preseason
games. Woodbury playeiJ
quarterback in more than '
half of two exhibition
games last year. But that
was with other rookies, free
agents and draft picks who
were trying to make the
team.
"I think I can showcase
my talent when the top guys
are in there,' he said. "And
really, that's all that I ask."
Until he reports, Wood
bury will continue his
workout schedule, which
lasts three to four hours
each day. It begins with a
workout on the weights and
then he runs the track at
Winston-Salem State.
"While most people are
sleeping I'm up running,"
he said. 'M? usually start
around 6:30 in the morning
and I'm finished at about
10:30."
Special emphasis is on
the lower part of his body
after he injured a quadri
ceps muscle and missed the
Jets' playoff loss at Oak
land. "
"I'm doing a lot more
work on my legs than I did
in the past," said Wood
bury, whose weight is up to
217 now after starting last
season at 205. "But I'm 100
percent now, and I don't
expect the injury to be a
factor,"
He does expect his phys
ical assets to be a factor. At
6-3, 217, Woodbury has the
strongest arm of the three
quarterbacks and is also the
most athletic, regularly
clocking a time of 4.4 in the
40-yard dash.
"Hopefully the team will
make the commitment ... to
V -
use me more this year in a
lot of situations," he said.
' . _ ??'
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